Kathleen's Crisis
by QuidditchSeason1977
Summary: After waking in the Hospital Wing following the Philosopher's Stone incident, Harry is greeted by a strangly familiar woman. Her name? Kathleen Potter. His cousin. She tells Harry that he never has to live with the Dursleys again, and Harry is excited by that thought. Surprise after surprise awaits him in Twin Willows Manor and Harry is happy. But what is Kathleen not telling him?
1. Prologue

**Kathleen's Crisis**

Prologue

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, considering the situation of one of his students, Harry Potter, who had been lying unconscious in the hospital wing for two days now, following an encounter with Voldemort. Harry had won, although the effort nearly killed him.

When Harry awoke, he was going to want answers- answers Albus was not sure he wanted to give the eleven year old. Eleven was too young to be given the responsibilities the answers would give him.

As Albus was thinking things through, there was a blinding flash of white light and a note appeared on Albus' desk. He picked it up and read it, curious, then dropped it in shock. She was still alive! How could that be? He wrote a quick note and sent it off with Fawkes.

Precisely twelve minutes later, a woman wearing red and gold stole across the Hogwarts grounds, through the front doors, and through the halls to the Headmaster's office. Nobody saw her. Nobody ever did.

Twenty minutes after Albus had sent the note, the woman was sitting, sipping a cup of tea in the Headmaster's office.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Albus asked.

The woman nodded. "He is my cousin, and to me there is nothing more important than family. It is my own fault that he was stuck at Petunia's all those years. I will make up for it by spending as much time with him as I can this summer- and all the summers to come."

"You are aware of the wards surrounding the house?"

"Of course. However, he is not happy there and besides that, I have better wards. No one whom I do not give direct permission to can get in, or even find, my house."

"You are prepared, then, to make his protection your highest priority?"

The woman looked him directly in the eye and said, "It always has been."

Harry blinked and opened his eyes. He went to sit up, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Take it easy, you're still very weak." He blinked again and turned his head to see the smiling and relieved face of the Headmaster, and a smiling, kind-faced woman. There was something in her eyes, however, that showed this woman could turn very nasty if angered, and something else that showed deep sadness. This woman had lost a lot, which was easy to see. It was the woman who had stopped him from sitting and who had spoken. She had waist-length black hair that was pulled into a low pony tail, hazel eyes containing flecks of green, and a kind face. She looked, Harry realised, a lot like him.

Then he remembered about the Philosopher's Stone. "Professor, did Quirrell get the Stone?" he was panicking now. The woman began rubbing his shoulder and it calmed him down.

"No he didn't. The Stone has been destroyed. But that doesn't matter right now. Harry, does this woman seem…familiar at all?"

Harry thought about it, straining his memory for an image of this woman. Eventually, he recalled seeing her, or a clever look-alike, lots of places: in the park, on the bus, in the grocery store. "I remember seeing you all over the place, and you sort of look like me. It's like you're related to me, but, other than Aunt Petunia, neither of my parents had any siblings."

"Actually," the woman said, "that's not completely true. James Potter had an older brother. Damien Potter was older by nine years but, because of some strange circumstances, he did not go to Hogwarts and nobody, other than Uncle James' closest friends and Aunt Lily, knew Uncle James had a brother." She sat up a little straighter and said, "My name is Kathleen Miriam Potter, daughter of Damien and Clyssandra Potter."

Harry just gaped at her. "So that means you're my…cousin?"

Kathleen nodded and continued, "My parents are still alive as well, but by the terms of your parents' will, are forbidden to care for you, as was I until now."

Harry looked elated. "Does this mean I can leave the Dursleys?"

Kathleen smiled. It lit up her whole face and almost made the sadness disappear. "After the term's over." At that moment a small frown creased her forehead. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a white Muggle smartphone. She glanced at the display and the frown deepened. "Sorry Harry, but I have to run in to work. I'll pick you up from Platform 9 ¾, 'kay?" Harry nodded. "Oh, and can you do me a favour and write to Petunia and tell her not to pick you up and that she never has to see you again?" Harry nodded again. "Do you have anything left at the Dursleys that you want? Don't worry about clothes, I', buying you a whole new Muggle wardrobe." Harry shook his head.

There was a commotion at the door and the three looked over to see Ron and Hermione running towards him. They stopped when they saw he had visitors. Kathleen turned back to Harry and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I'll see you at the end of the term Harry," then she left.

Dumbledore left shortly after that as well saying, "careful not to overdo it."

Ron and Hermione turned to him immediately and Hermione asked, "What happened with the Stone?"

Harry quickly told them the story and then said, "But that doesn't matter. That woman who was here? Well, she's my cousin Kathleen, and she said I can live with her! I never have to see the Dursleys again!"

Hermione looked happy for him, but Ron looked a little disappointed. "I was gonna invite you to stay this summer."

"Don't worry; I can probably stay during the day while Kathleen is at work. That's why she left now, is because of work."

Hermione looked intrigued. "Do you know what she does?"

Harry shook his head, "No. It could be in either the wizard world or the Muggle world because she had a smartphone, but she was wearing robes."

"Well, next time you see her, you should ask her," Ron said like it was obvious.

"Yes," said Harry slowly, "yes I think I will."


	2. Chapter 1

**Kathleen's Crisis**

Chapter 1:

I left Hogwarts quickly, annoyed with Clyssandra. How could she and Damien do this to me? They knew I was re-establishing contact with my cousin! Although, I guess since I was taking all of July off, I did need to help out once more.

The reasoning behind the month-long break was I wanted to spend time with Harry, get him to trust me, then tell him about my family's heritage- the _real_ reason Damien didn't go to Hogwarts, the same reason my twin sister, Isabel, and I hadn't gone.

I slid through Hogsmede, unconsciously using stealth tactics. No one saw me. No one did unless I wanted them to. That skill was one that helped me survive countless times and places.

Just past the village. Carefully parked on a hidden road, was my specially modified red Chevy Spark. The modifications mostly dealt with things in the categories of stealth, weaponry, and defense. My car is absolutely amazing.

I'm sorry, am I boring you with my talk of my car? Well too bad. I love my car and if in my story I want to talk about it, I will.

Anyway, I climbed into my car and drove. Several hours later, I arrived at a small, isolated farmstead- a perfect hideout for _them._ I put my car into stealth mode and stopped about 100m from the house. I took a couple deep breaths before opening the door and stepping out. Instantly, I started blending in, matching my breathing with the slight gusts of wind, staying low to the ground. If someone were to observe the general area I was in, and I was certain there was, they would only see the places I'd been, not where I was, and only then if they were watching closely. And no one would know where I was going next.

Eventually I reached the house and I stopped, crouched over in plain sight. But people see what they expect to see and no alarms sounded. I was as invisible as I could expect to be.

I slowly pulled out my cell phone. A sudden movement now would give me away as easily as a sneeze.

The text alert came up, but the phone stayed silent. I slowly put the phone away. That was it- the signal. There was no going back now. I took a deep but inaudible breath, and then carefully undid my decorative leather belt with heavy orbs of marble strung at intervals on the leather. This belt actually undid into a sling, which could fire the marble orbs.

There! One of _them _had passed the window and would be coming back soon. I silently counted to 25, when I carefully took aim. At 28 I whirled my sling and fired on thirty. It hit my mark and he collapsed to the ground. I replaced the belt around my waist, and then pulled out a long-handled dirk from each of my ankle-high, heeled leather boots. I took a last steadying breath, and then leapt over the window sill.

Half an hour later, all twelve of the house's occupants were tied up and unconscious in the main room, which I had placed Anti-Apparition wards around. Most of _them _couldn't do wand magic, which included Apparition- but it never hurt to be careful.

Two days after the incident at the farmhouse, I was waiting on Platform 9 3/4, just like I promised Harry I would be.

In the 2 days between now and the farmhouse incident I had successfully gotten myself declared alive, gotten custody of Harry, and set up a room in my house for him, as well as updating the wards around it. I had Dumbledore cast the Fideleous Charm, making me the Secret Keeper. I had done thorough background checks on Harry's friends Ron and Hermione, as well as their families, and had determined that it was safe to tell Hermione and the Weasleys the secret. I did _not_ plan on telling my _parents_ (if they can even be called that), but I told Isabel. After all, she lived there too.

Anyway, the train pulled in and students, dressed unobtrusively in Muggle clothing, started to flood the platform, looking for family. I scanned the crowd for Harry's distinctive head of male Potter hair. I finally spotted him next to Ron, dragging a trunk and carrying the cage of a beautiful snowy owl, watching as Ron said hello to his mom and sister. Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry in for a hug and I heard him thanking her for her Christmas present.

I decided it was time to make my presence known.

After Mrs. Weasley released Harry (and while Mrs. Weasley was distracted by Ron introducing Hermione to her), I circled around behind Harry and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and I smiled at him. He smiled back, though I wasn't sure if the smile was because he was happy to see me, or simply happy to not be going back to the Dursleys. I suspected the latter, and didn't blame him. He might not know what was to come, but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind. I silently vowed to myself that, no matter what happened, Harry would be happier with me than he ever had been with the Dursleys and, maybe, even come to love me like a cousin-turned0-legal-guardian should. I also vowed that I would love him like he should have been loved, like he would have if it weren't for that traitor Black.

I pulled him in for a hug and said, "You ready to go?"

Harry nodded and turned to hug Ron and Hermione good bye. They were looking at him and he pulled them towards us. "Ron, Hermione, this is my cousin Kathleen. Kathleen, these are my best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

I smiled at them and said, "It's nice to meet you guys! Maybe we'll see you sometime this summer. I have all of July off work, but come August I'll be working full-time again. So maybe Harry can come visit then?"

I turned to Mrs. Weasley, who nodded before saying, "We'd love to have him. Just owl me in advance and then maybe send him over through the Floo?" I nodded, already liking the woman who mothered everyone she could. "By the way, what is it that you do?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione's ears perk up a little. "Oh," I said airily, "it's a special division of the Auror office that investigates cases involving both the Muggle and magic worlds." Technically I wasn't lying, I just wasn't telling the whole truth. I _did_ work in a division of the Auror office that dealt with cases sensitive to both worlds, but we also dealt with a third world.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. You'll have to tell us more about it sometime," she said smiling. I smiled back while inwardly wincing. "By the way, did I introduce myself? Molly Weasley," she held out her hand for me to shake.

I took it saying, "Kathleen Potter."

We both smiled at each other and I was inwardly wondering if she was related to my boyfriend Charlie Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley then pointed out each of her children to me, adding, "I have two more as well, but Bill and Charlie have already left school."

I nodded while thinking that Harry's best friend Ron's older brother was my boyfriend. I'd just met my boyfriend's mother!

While I was talking to Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were making plans for the summer. Harry tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "When can Ron and Hermione come over? And how sill we get them there?"

I grinned at them. "Ron can Floo over and I can pick up Hermione." I turned to Mrs. Weasley. "Our house is under the Fideleous Charm. We'd love to let you and your family in on the location Mrs. Weasley."

She smiled at me, "we'd be honoured. How about we all come over for dinner sometime next week?"

I nodded. "Does Wednesday work? Abound six-thirty?"

She nodded agreement. "That would work fine Miss Potter."

I smiled again. "Great! But please, none of this 'Miss Potter' stuff. Call me Kathy."

"Then call me Molly," was her response.

"Sure, and Ron and Hermione are welcome any time. Now," I turned to Harry and took his owl's cage from him, "we should get going- we have company coming for dinner tonight."

Molly immediately started waving us away. "Well, don't let us keep you!"

We waved good bye to the Weasleys and Hermione, then made our way back through the barrier. I led Harry to where my car was parked, stopping once to take his trunk from him. I put his trunk in the boot and Harry's owl in the backseat before sitting in the driver's seat. Harry took the passenger seat and, after making sure he was buckled, I backed out of the parking lot.

As I drove there was an uncomfortable silence. After a few minutes I said to Harry, "Why don't we play a game of Twenty Questions? We each ask the other ten questions that we have to answer honestly." Harry nodded and I could tell he and I were both thinking the same thing: this game was a great way to learn more about each other. "I'll start, and then we can alternate between the two of us. What's your owl's name?"

He looked a bit startled, but said, "Hedwig. Who do we have coming for dinner?"

"Hedwig…that's a pretty name. Tonight my boyfriend, my twin sister, and her boyfriend are coming."

Harry looked shocked. "You have a sister?"

I nodded while saying, "Did I not mention her before?" Harry shook his head. "Oh, well her name's Isabel and she's dating this guy named Damen."

Harry nodded, and then asked, "What's your boyfriend's name?"

I was surprised but quickly said, "Promise you won't tell Molly?"

Harry smiled and said, "I promise."

"Charlie Weasley."

Harry looked startled before laughing. It was my turn to ask a question. "What's your favorite food?"

"Treacle tart," he said before adding, "And yours?"

"Chicken fried rice. Favorite colour?"

"Red and gold- Gryffindor colours. What's yours?"

I thought about it. Nothing against the Hogwarts colours, but I didn't really like any of them. "Purple," I said at last. "What's your least favorite memory from this year?"

Harry shuddered and said, "Down in the Mirror Chamber with Quirrell and Voldemort. Why did you have to wait so long before taking custody of me?"

"Well, I had to wait until I could legally do so in both worlds, since we live just outside of Muggle London. If it weren't for your parents' will, I could have almost two years ago. Favorite memory of the year?" I hoped to distract him from getting the rest of the answer.

"Winning the House Cup for Gryffindor. Why did my parents make you wait until now?"

Darn. Harry was not to be distracted. "It's…complicated. The Potter family has a hidden legacy, which I'll tell you more about later in the month, and the reason you had to stay with the Dursleys so long is directly related to that. Actually, I was going to come last year, but my job got in the way. Everyone thought I was dead, so Dumbledore sent your letters like normal." I took a breath, "So, I just want to apologize that you had to stay there an extra year."

Harry looked surprised. "You don't have to apologize at all. It's your turn to ask me a question."

Typical male avoiding all touchy-feely moments. "Okay…any girls catch your eye?"

Harry blushed and said, "Not really. My turn…um…Can you tell me about my parents?"

I really should have expected this. "Okay, Uncle James was always my favorite relative. I have sore cousins on my mom's side, but all of them are twits that can't tell one end of a broomstick from the other. Anyway, Uncle James was part of a group known as the Marauders during school. They were master pranksters and were always there for each other. I'm not in contact with two of them and your father's dead, but I can invite Remus Lupin for dinner sometime, if you want."

"That would be awesome," Harry said grinning. I knew he'd never had people who would tell him about his parents, so I'd do my best to answer his questions.

"Anyway, Uncle James was stubborn and determined. He liked Aunt Lily long before she liked him. I believe she once yelled at him that she'd rather go out with the giant squid than him.

"To Uncle James, nothing was more important than family. He loved you and Aunt Lily more than anything. He valued his friends' lives more than his own.

"Aunt Lily was Muggleborn, but you already knew that. She and Petunia were best friends until they discovered that Aunt Lily was a witch. Petunia called her all sorts of names and it hurt Aunt Lily deeply. When their parents died, Petunia didn't allow Aunt Lily to go to the funeral. She and Uncle James had to sneak in with the cloak.

"Aunt Lily was smarter than anyone I know, and you got your temper from her. During her seventh year Aunt Lily realised that she loved Uncle James and she didn't let anything keep him from her." We were at a red light and I took the opportunity to look Harry directly in the eye. "I never saw either of them happier than on the day you were born." The light changed and I turned my attention back to the road. "My turn to ask you a question but if you have any more questions about your parents, just ask and I'll do my best to answer. What's your favorite shop in Diagon Alley?"

"Quality Quidditch Supplies. Yours?"

"Madame Malkin's. Favorite Quidditch team?"

"The Chudley Cannons. Yours?"

"Holyhead Harpies. Most treasured possession?"

"I have 2. My dad's invisibility cloak and the photograph album Hagrid gave me with pictures of my parents. Those are the only pictures of them I've got."

I growled in the back of my throat. "I am going to kill Petunia," I stated calmly.

I must have scared Harry a little, because his eyes widened and he said, "No, don't do that. I mean, she did take care of me for ten years."

I took deep breaths and controlled my homicidal impulses. "'K, it's your turn to ask a question."

"Okay…greatest fear."

I took a deep breath, knowing that my answer would trigger more questions than it would answer. "You heard that I work in a division of the Auror office- Dark wizard catchers," I added before he could ask. Sometimes I forgot that Harry was raised in the Muggle world. "Well, in the course of my job, I've made a lot of enemies- enemies that would do almost anything to kill me and those I care about. My greatest fear is messing up enough that they catch me," I paused a moment, "or you." Harry's eyes widened. "Yeah, you heard me right. Some of my greatest enemies are supporters of Voldemort that escaped capture. Since you're The Boy Who Lived and you temporarily defeated him, they aren't exactly happy with you. You were protected at Privet Drive, but not at my house- at least not in the same way. If anything, at my house you'll be even more protected. Dumbledore is a fool if he doesn't realise that." The last bit was said quietly, but Harry still heard.

"He didn't want you to take custody of me?" he asked.

"He seemed to think it's safer to keep you within the protective charms and miserable, then happy, loved and within even more powerful charms."

There really wasn't anything Harry could say to that, so he nodded and said, "It's your question."

"Okay, then I want to know your greatest fear."

"Well before you took me in, it was not knowing anything about my parents, but you've calmed that. So…I guess I'm afraid to mess up. Ev3eryone expects things from me because I'm The Boy Who Lived. I'm scared I won't live up to their expectations. Your most reassured possession."

"My skis. I love skiing and I wish I could go more often than I do."

Silence fell between us, but it wasn't an awkward silence like before. Instead it was a companionable one. We were outside the city limits now and were starting to see country houses. I pulled over to the edge of the road. We were situated at the start of a cleverly-concealed (if I do say so myself) dirt track. I pressed a button on the dashboard and ran a proximity check, which came up clean.

I turned to Harry and said, "As Secret-Keeper, I, Kathleen Miriam Potter, include you, Harry James Potter, in the secret. Our house is located at 319 Treeview Lane and is called Twin Willow Manor." I began to drive down the track, which opened up into a proper road after about a mile.

"When you say 'Manor'…" Harry trailed off, a question in his voice.

"Well, the house itself is a manor, but we have about an acre of land with a small forest and a brook. We also have a few horses, so if you want to learn to ride you can."

I pulled into the carriage-house-turned-garage and turned to Harry. "I'm not big on rules, but I do have a few. First: you can go anywhere on our land that you want, or Floo to the Burrow, but you have to tell me first.

"Second, you can invite people over whenever you want, just let me know that they're coming.

"Third, there is absolutely no problem with you flying here (Muggles can't see us), or riding, or whatever, but you'll have to do your chores first. This house is pretty big and I don't have any servants. You'll only have a couple chores a day, but they need to be done before you can have fun. That way we avoid working our rear ends off one day of the week.

"My last rule probably won't be applicable for a few years, but it's still a rule. I find a girl in your bed EVER and you'll be cleaning up horse manure for a week-with no flying, Quidditch, or trips and/or guests to or from the Burrow. You understand?"

Harry nodded, looking slightly ill at the thought of dealing with horse manure. I didn't blame him- horse manure is DISGUSTING.

We steeped out and took the gravel path out of the former carriage house. Harry was carrying his owl's cage while I wandlessly charmed his trunk to follow us.

When Harry got his first proper look at the house, he stopped and stared.

The Manor was big and elegant. It was only three floors (plus basement and attic), but it had two wings coming from either side. The house is covered in ivy. From the right hand (or East Wing) was a tower. That tower was my office. I almost never go into the Ministry; I prefer to work from home.

I turned to face him. Pointing at the left wing I said, "That's the West Wing. My sister and her boyfriend live there and I wouldn't go in there if you don't want to be mentally scarred for life." Harry nodded and I continued, still pointing. "The Tower is my office, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't go in there. You're welcome to wander the East and Center Wings as you please, but I would avoid both the basement and attic- there's so much dust in them it's impossible to breathe." He just nodded, looking dazed by the size of the house.

We proceeded up the stairs as I led Harry to his room. As we walked, I told him about the house. "Twin Willows has actually been in the Potter family for centuries. It actually used to be called Potter Manor, but when Isabel and I inherited it Twin Willows just seemed…better." We reached the third floor of the East Wing, where I stopped Harry to say, "My father and Uncle James grew up here. I wasn't sure what you'd want in your room, so I gave you your dad's old one and just left all the furnishings, pictures, and stuff the way it was." Harry gaped at me. I deposited his trunk on the landing and added, "You have the whole east Wing third floor to yourself. If you want to change the décor, you can just let me know and I'll take you shopping. Oh, and tomorrow we're going shopping for Muggle clothes that fit you." I left him standing on the landing while I went to go make dinner.

(A/N: So here's the new story I promised you. Sorry this took so long. I actually had it ready Friday, but life got in the way until today. I also don't have anything new to post for A Stitch in Time because of real life. Sorry!)


	3. Chapter 2

**Kathleen's Crisis**

I realised that the previous two chapters don't have disclaimers, so here we have it for everything up until now and everything after this: don't own anything except Izzy, Kathy, Damen, Damien, and Clyssandra. Never have owned the rest of it and never will.

Twin Willows has three wings, as mentioned before. The West Wing is where Isabel and Damen live. I don't go there much, but they have the third floor for games room, second floor as kitchen/dining room/living room and the first floor as their bedroom, as well as some spare rooms.

The East Wing is mostly bedrooms. The third floor is Harry's room, and I'm on the first floor. I have an entrance into the Tower from there as well. The second floor is really just a sitting room and more spare bedrooms.

The Center Wing's third floor has the Library and the glassed-in dome that was the Conservatory - and one of my favorite rooms in the Manor. The first floor has the main dining room and the parlour (where our Floo entrance was. There are fireplaces in most rooms, and you can Floo from any of them, but you can only Floo to the parlour.). The kitchen and smaller dining room (where we ate unless we had company) were on the second floor. The kitchen and the main dining room were connected with a dumb-waiter. I hated that thing. What idiot designed the manor so that the kitchen and main dining room were on different floors?

And yes, I'm aware that the West Wing's kitchen is on the second floor, but we renovated it so Isabel and I could be close, but she and Damen had their own space. And _their _dining room was right next to their kitchen.

Not that they'd been using either recently. About two weeks previously, they'd had their three year anniversary and Damen had taken her on a cruise to Jamaica. They'd gotten back today, but I hadn't seen them much – I'd been in a rush to pick up Harry.

I moved around the kitchen, carefully adding tomato paste, herbs, and spices to the pot, bringing the sauce to a boil. After that, I added copious amounts of pasta to another pot. Tonight was the combined 'Welcome back Isabel and Damen' and 'Welcome to the family Harry' dinner.

I was about halfway through the treacle tart when a set of warm, strong arms pulled me into their embrace. An embrace I would recognize anywhere.

"Charlie!" I shrieked, turning in his arms to kiss him. Charlie's my boyfriend, and he's amazing. I love him so much, and I know he loves me. He works on the dragon reservation in Romania and visits when he can – usually on weekends.

Actually, we've talked about it, and Charlie and I will be getting married as soon as Harry's used to living at Twin Willows.

"And how's the sweetest Candy in my world today?" he asked, kissing my nose.

I better explain the whole 'Candy' thing.

We started dating during the summer between Charlie's sixth and what would have been his seventh year – if he hadn't decided to go tame dragons in Romania. It was a particularly hot July. He had just started work and I was in Romania for a job. The first time we kissed, he told me my kisses were the sweetest thing in the world.

"Sweeter than candy," I'd asked through my giggles.

"You're the sweetest candy in my world," he'd said before kissing me again.

Ever since then he'd called me Candy. When I'd asked why he'd simply said, "I have to remind you how sweet you are." At first I was indifferent to the name, but eventually I'd learned to love it. It reminded me that _somebody _other than Isabel and Damen cared for me.

"I'm absolutely fabulous now that you're here Char," I said.

"How did the farmhouse job go?" he asked as I turned back to my pots.

I shrugged. "Same as always. Can you get the garlic bread out of the oven and cast a Warming Charm on it?" He nodded and moved to do as I asked. "Anything new with the dragons?" I inquired as I added some more basil to the sauce. "I haven't seen you since April, surly _something _interesting happened."

"I got a baby Norwegian Ridgeback named Norberta. My brother Ron sent it to me via some friends."

I dropped the spoon I was stirring the sauce with. "Do you know the names of these friends?"

"There were two. A girl and Harry…" he trailed off, seeing why I was panicking.

"What was Harry doing with a dragon?!" I nearly yelled. "Watch dinner for me, I have to go have words with my cousin." Without even waiting for a response, I dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I ran up to the third floor and crossed to the East Wing. On the landing outside of Harry's room I stopped to catch my breath. It wouldn't do to scare him by running in like I was being chased by Death Eaters.

I counted ten deep breaths and knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened to reveal Harry. "Hey Harry, can I come in? I fancy a little _chat_."

He looked surprised, but nodded and stood back. I entered, closing the door behind me, and almost immediately staggered against the wall.

I hadn't been in this room in nearly eleven years, the last time being after Uncle James and Aunt Lily's funerals. I'd been nine at the time. Before that, it was during school holidays. I didn't have many happy memories of my childhood, but most of the few I did have were here, in my uncle's bedroom, with his best friends the Marauders. The last time my uncle and his three best friends had made me laugh in this room was the night before Uncle James' wedding. I had been six.

**Flashback:**

I couldn't sleep. Tonight was the last night my uncle would live under the same roof as me and Isabel. I couldn't stand that thought. Tomorrow we'd be giving my uncle, my source of light, to Miss Lily, who was my source of inspiration. There was no doubt in my mind that Miss Lily and Uncle James were meant for each other, but after he moved to Godric's Hollow, he and the Marauders wouldn't be there to light the darkness that was my life with laughter. I was so scared.

I could hear the Marauders now, up in Uncle James' room, celebrating his wedding. I slipped out of bed and climbed the stairs. The third floor door was open. I slipped inside and found a shadowy corner to watch my sources of happiness laugh and joke. I fell asleep in that corner with a small smile on my face.

My uncle found me in the morning and gently woke me. "Hey Kitty Katty," he said softly so as not to wake his friends. "Did you sleep here last night?"

I nodded solemnly.

"Why would you do something like that?"

I reached up and hugged him, whispering, "If you go, who will make me laugh?"

He smiled. "Silly Kitty Katty. I'm not leaving you. I'm just helping Lily have some laughter in her life too. I'll always be there to make you laugh. When you need me, think and wish _really_ hard and I'll be there."

I looked at him, my eyes filled with tears threatening to fall. "You promise?"

"I promise."

And he kept that promise faithfully for two years, until he had to go into hiding. At that point, I became a frequent midnight visitor to Godric's Hollow.

When I found out my beloved Uncle James and Aunt Lily had been killed, I stayed up late every night, wishing hard for him and Aunt Lily.

I was angry at Voldemort for making Uncle James break his promise to me. I decided to make the Death Eaters pay.

At the funeral, Uncle James and Aunt Lily were so… cold, white (like stone), and still. I remember thinking, _this isn't them. _And it wasn't. The Uncle James and Aunt Lily I knew were always moving, never still. They weren't this…empty.

After the funeral, I locked myself in Uncle James' room for 2 days, only coming out for meals, and never speaking to anyone.

**End Flashback**

'Kitty Katty' was the Marauders' name for me. Black came up with it, so now I wouldn't let anyone call me 'Kat' anything. It was too painful. Black had been my favorite Marauder, other than Uncle James. Now that I knew he was the reason for my uncle's death, I hated him with a passion. If he ever met me, he _would _pay.

"Kathy?" I jumped, startled. Harry was looking at me with confusion on his face.

"Sorry Harry, I got lost in the memories."

The room was red and gold. I moved to the canopied double bed and sat, patting the space next to me.

"You had a good school year?" I asked and he nodded. "Good, but that's not why I'm here. Charlie was telling me about his work. Why do I have to hear from my boyfriend about an illegal dragon that was in _your _possession?"

"Oh, um, well…" he trailed off.

"Yes?" I said, wanting more of an answer.

"Well, Hagrid got hold of a dragon egg and it hatched and we needed to get rid of it, so Ron owled Charlie and we sent the dragon with some friends of his." He said this all very fast, as if I wouldn't quite absorb the information if he said it quickly enough.

"You weren't hurt or anything?" I think my change from angry to concern threw him off a little because all he did was shake his head.

"Well, good," I stood. I was anxious to leave before I ended up in a corner, sobbing because of the memories. "Dinner will be ready shortly, I'll have Charlie come and get you. Normally I'd just bang the gong, but this house can be confusing if you don't know the way around. However, for future reference, the banging of the gong means come to the smaller dining room."

"_Smaller _dining room?" he asked, startled.

"Yes, we have 2, but it's mostly going to be you and me, except on weekends when Charlie visits, we usually just eat in the small dining room."

"Oh," was his eloquent response.

"Anyway, you can unpack your clothes and look through the stuff Uncle James left before he moved to Godric's Hollow with Aunt Lily," I said as I left.

I hurried back downstairs to find that the sauce and spaghetti were done and next to the garlic bread with Warming Charms placed on them.

"Have I told you I love you yet today?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him.

"No, but you don't need to. I know you love me Candy," he said as he kissed me.

"Hmmm," I said as I turned away.

He wrapped his arms around me and said, "Can't you see us like this in the future? Me with my arms wrapped around you, you making dinner, and five or so red-haired, hazel eyed children running around and getting into mischief?"

I smiled. "Yes. I see it every time I close my eyes."

"Well, in order for that dream to become a reality, I need to get a job here."

"Don't do it," I said as I turned to face him.

"Why not?" he asked, looking confused.

"Don't stop doing what you love just for me."

"Don't worry about that," he said smiling, "I'd have to retire from the dragons soon anyway. Most dragon keepers stop at 25. After that, you're just not physically capable of caring for them. Since I didn't finish my NEWTs, there's not a lot I can do. I wouldn't be happy with a Ministry desk job in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. So, I've been talking to Hagrid, and the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Kettleburn, is looking to retire next year. I figure I can stick with the dragons 'till the New Year, and then we can marry and go on our honey moon and be back for the end of the year. What do you think?"

I turned back to the treacle tart I was making and said, "If we marry during the Easter break, Harry can be there – I know he'll want to."

He kissed the top of my head. "That sounds perfect. Now all that's left to do is tell my family."

I flashed Charlie ad mischievous smile and said, "Let's not tell them who you're marrying until the wedding, then we can surprise them with the fact that they already know me."

He smiled back. "That sounds like fun, Candy." He paused. "You know, there's only one flaw in this brilliant plan of ours."

"Oh, and what's that?" I asked as I turned to face him.

"We need to be engaged." Before I could speak he'd pulled out a box and got down on one knew. "Kathleen, I love you more than anything. You're the sweetest Candy in my world and I want to spend my life with you." He opened the box. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Charlie!" I gasped. "Yes, of course I'll marry you!" he grinned, stood and kissed me, using one hand to slip the ring on my finger, while the other tangled itself in my waist-length black hair.

I pulled away after a moment and took a first proper look at my ring. It was a simple gold band with red inlay engraved on the outside of the ring. A purple amethyst was set as the only gem. It was perfect.

"Oh, Char, it's beautiful," I sighed.

"Only the best for you, my love," he grinned. "Should we tell Harry about our engagement?"

"Yes," I said turning back to the tart, "and you should do it. He'll keep it secret and he'd be hurt if we didn't tell him."

"You're right, as always. I don't have to go back to Romania until Monday, so I'll stop in to visit my family on Sunday and stay the night there. That's when I'll tell them I'm engaged."

"Sounds like a plan. Now, the tart's finished, so you can go get Isabel, Damen, and Harry."

He saluted me with a "Yes ma'am."

I smiled as I set the table. I normally didn't war jewellery, but having Charlie's ring on my finger just felt… right and I wouldn't have it any other way.

**Charlie's Point of View**

I headed to the door to the West Wing, first floor, and knocked on Izzy and Damen's door. After a moment, Izzy opened the door. "Yes," she said tartly.

I inwardly sighed. Nothing against Izzy, but she's not my favorite person on the planet. "Kathy said to tell you that dinner's ready."

She nodded. "We will be in the secondary dining room in five minutes." I nodded and she shut the door with a snap.

I walked quickly up to Harry's room. I came in there a lot. Candy and Izzy couldn't stand to be in the same room for more than five minutes without sobbing – it reminds them to much of their dead uncle. Candy makes me clean in there when I'm home, or she'll blackmail Damen into doing it if I'm not. I don't know how she managed while Damen and Izzy were in Jamaica and I was in Romania, but somehow she did.

I knocked on the door and heard a "come in" in response. I opened the door to see Harry Potter putting clothes from his trunk into the dresser.

"Hey, I'm Charlie Weasley," I said holding out my hand. "I'm told you're friends with my brother Ron."

He nodded while shaking my hand. "Harry Potter but," he added with a laugh, "you probably already knew that."

"Yeah, Kathy told me. She also told me to tell you that dinner's ready."

"Alright," he said, closing the door firmly behind him as we left.

"So, Kathy probably mentioned me as her boyfriend," I said and he nodded confirmation of that fact. "Well, that's not quite accurate. I asked Kathy to marry me, and she said yes."

"Congratulations," he said, "when're you thinking you'll have the wedding?"

"During Easter break. Kathy wants you there for it, and this is the best way to do it. I'm going to stay with the dragons until the New Year, then I'm going to quit. Next year I'm going to be the Care of Magical Creatures professor."

"Well, good luck with that," he said, and I could tell he meant it.

"Thing is, I'm not telling my family who I'm engaged to. We want to surprise Mum. So, please don't tell them until we're ready for them to know."

"Sure," he said with a grin. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks," I said.

At that moment, we reached the smaller dining room. Izzy was sitting at one end and Candy was at the other. Damen sat on Izzy's right. I sat next to him, leaving the space opposite me for Harry.

"So, Harry, this is my twin sister Isabel and her _husband _Damen," Candy said after the food had been dished.

"Good evening," said Izzy. Damen just nodded.

Isabel Marie and Kathleen Miriam aren't identical down to the last detail, though they are close. Izzy is more outgoing and somewhat enjoys her job, while Candy is more quiet and bookish and hates her job with a fiery passion. Izzy is also more formal in her mannerisms than Candy, although I think that's a by-product of Candy spending more time with the Marauders than Izzy. One thing both have in common is how much they hate their parents. I've never heard either of them refer to their parents as mom, dad, or even father or mother. It's always Damien and Clyssandra. They will say, 'my mother' or 'my father' or 'my parents' but only if they must.

Both girls have black hair, but Candy's is in waves and Izzy's are in curls. Candy also prefers her's long, while Izzy keeps it shoulder length. But their eyes are where you see the real difference between the two. Izzy's eyes are a hardened brown, closed off and guarded. Candy's eyes are a soft hazel, filled with sadness, loss, and longing. I'll be honest; its Candy's eyes that made me want to get to know her. I wanted to find out the story behind them.

"So, Isabel, Damen, what did you do on your trip other than elope?" Candy asked with a slight note of reproach in her voice. I knew why it was there – even though the two weren't close, Candy would still want to be there for her only sister's wedding.

Damen shrugged. "Not much just enjoyed the amenities of the cruise ship."

"You enjoyed yourselves then?" I asked and Damen nodded. Izzy was watching her sister. Izzy's eyes softened a little.

"You know why we eloped, and it wasn't because we wanted to,"  
she said softly.

Candy nodded. "I know. If Damien and Clyssandra knew you were getting married they'd put a stop to it. That's why Char and I aren't even going to tell them we're engaged."

Izzy smiled in delight. Coming from her, it was like anyone else jumping up and down, squealing. "You're engaged! Let's see your ring." Candy, uncomfortable with the attention, held up her left hand. Izzy grabbed it and sighed when she saw it. That was probably the most relaxed I had ever seen her.

After a bit, during which we discussed the plans for our wedding (trying to include Harry as much as possible – we wanted him to feel welcome), Candy said, "Char's family is coming for dinner on Wednesday."

"My youngest brother is one of Harry's friends," I interjected quickly.

"You can be here or not, it's your decision, but we're not telling them Char and I are engaged."

"Well, I'm telling them, but I'm not giving them a name," I said.

"Brilliant," said Damen. He and Izzy really are perfect for each other. Damen… completes her and brings out her less violent side. Just like I bring out Candy's irresponsible, mischievous side.

**A/N: **There you go, an update at last! Hoped you liked it and happy reading! Thanks to all who've commented/favorited/followed both me and my stories! I also made a couple changes in the last chapter, so you might want to take a look at those.

Happy reading!


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